New World Order
by Eska Nutri
Summary: A group of 14 students, locked inside of a school and given simple instructions, kill each other or stay in the school forever. Lovino Vargas was just tagging along to make sure nobody messed with his younger brother . Now he's trapped, fearing for his life. Spamano and other minor pairings, based off of SDR.
1. Part 1: Welcome to the Academy

**note:** hello! this is a new fanfic of mine that i've been working on for a while! it's based off of the murder-mystery light novel "super dangan ronpa"! there will be a longer authors note at the end of this chapter with some things you should know about this au, but for now, i hope you enjoy!

* * *

World Academy W. A school of international fame, it was founded in hopes of maintaining world peace. Elite students from the most prestigious national schools of every country, major or minor, in the world, were sent to the academy to draft resolutions on new international policies. It was meant to be an outlet, a place for a younger generation of minds, but no less smart than the older generation, to come together and innovate.

Lovino Vargas just so happened to be one of those special people.

To be more specific, he was one of the two teenagers chosen to represent Italy in this batch of accepted students. The other was his brother, Feliciano, not nearly as smart as him but amazingly skilled in the arts. Lovino himself was better at scheming and manipulating people, which he supposed was a good enough ability to have in a school full of potential rivals and political enemies.

He wasn't sure what to expect, exactly. He had heard nothing but pristine-perfect things about the academy, but the information about anything that went on inside was kept strictly confidential. Yet, every single student that graduated from the academy went on to be successful in whatever career they chose to pursue, whether it be anything from painting to starting a frozen yogurt empire. All the ideas, inventions, and bills that were drafted in the academy were not revealed.

He huffed and looked down at the piece of paper in his hand. Was this really the place for him? Honestly, he wasn't sure. It seemed like the type of place perfect for his brother. A place to be social. Lovino didn't like to be social. Lovino didn't like people in general.

But at this point, he really had no choice.

Lovino crumpled up the piece of paper with the address to the school on it and shoved in his bag. He took a stride towards the entrance, and then another, and another. Face-first with the door of the school, he pulled it open and stepped inside.

…He really wasn't sure what happened after that.

* * *

Lovino groaned loudly. His limbs felt groggy and weak, as if he had been asleep in an odd position. The light was blinding. He blinked his eyes open slowly, his pupils struggling to focus. He felt something suddenly support his back and he sat up. He looked over his shoulder, seeing a man – a boy, really – around his age, with messy dark brown hair and stunningly bright green eyes.

He made an angry noise and shrugged the boy off of him, placing his hands on the ground and pushing himself up. He staggered a bit and the boy reached out a hand to steady him but he took a step back, narrowly avoiding the contact.

Lovino observed his surroundings, aside from the concerned-looking boy. There was a few other people in the room, all who he assumed were new students as well. Some looked intimidating and just as untrustworthy as he was, and some just looked plain dumb. He filed the concerned boy into the "dumb" category.

Although the room was bright, everything else about it was dark and dreary. The floor was made out of cold, hard steel and the walls were plated with thick iron boards. There were no windows and no doors that he could make out. Cameras sat at the top of every corner of the room.

One of the first things Lovino had learned while growing up: never trust a room with cameras.

There was no cool nor warm air in the room. There was no breeze. There had to be some way of getting fresh air into the room, but he could see no way. It was if they were simply in a sealed, controlled box.

"Hey! Is this some sort of admissions test? They didn't say anything about this in the letter!" an obnoxiously loud voice screeched. Lovino covered his ears and glared. A tall, blonde boy who was wearing a tacky brown jacket and an American flag pig gestured towards a nondescript place on the wall. "There's no doors or anything!"

A wavy-haired boy with a coat that looked like it was from the 1800s and an accent that was so condescending it almost seemed fake spoke up. "It seems that, from what I have gathered, none of us remember anything between when we walked into the academy and just now."

"W-What are you trying to say?" another blonde haired boy said. He was shorter than the other and had quite large eyebrows. "Were we drugged?"

The wavy-haired boy adjusted his glasses and sighed loudly. "It would seem so, yes."

A very tall boy clapped his hands and smiled eerily from beside the wavy-haired boy. "Is this a type of game? We should play along, da?"

Lovino narrowed his eyes. The tall boy set alarms off in his head. Everyone else looked worried or stressed but him. A proper background check was necessary here.

"Where's the fucking principal who was supposed to meet us here?" Lovino asked and crossed his arms. "It's pretty rude to just leave a class full of new students standing in a locked room."

"I don't think them being rude is our greatest concern here," a soft voice said. When he had everyones attention, he continued, "I think introductions are in order for this situation. I'm Kiku Honda and I am from Japan."

The American blonde slapped his chest and grinned. "I'm Alfred F. Jones!"

From there, it continued. The wavy-haired boy introduced himself as Roderich Edelstein, from Austria. The boy with the fuzzy eyebrows was Arthur Kirkland from England. A boy with an accent he could barely understand cheerily stated he was Francis Bonnefoy from France. The brown-haired boy who had helped him up said to just call him Antonio, and Lovino already knew just by the accent that he was from Spain. The very tall boy said his name was Ivan Braginsky, from Russia.

There was a long pause before anyone spoke up and Lovino tapped his finger against his arm impatiently. They were in a locked room, being watched, and the conversation had suddenly gone dead silent. "I'm Lovino Vargas, from Italy."

The introductions continued swiftly after that. There were kids from China, Germany, Hungary, and Canada all there. The second representative from Germany proudly stated that he was from Prussia. He was met with silence, until Ivan spoke up and happily responded, "Prussia was obliterated years ago, da?"

There was one person missing.

"Where's Feliciano?" Lovino growled. He glanced around the room. Feliciano wasn't present. In fact, it was a bit odd that Feliciano had passed on entering the academy at the same time as him. His brother had said it was because he had felt sick from the hotel breakfast he had eaten the day before, but it was rare for Feliciano to ever get sick. He had an almost impeccable immune system.

"I was the first to wake up. Nobody else but the people who were asleep here have been in here, as far as I know," Arthur said.

Lovino looked at the ground. He felt uneasy. Of course, he had felt uneasy before, but he didn't like not knowing where his brother was. They had been raised mostly separately and were constantly butting heads, but they did look out for each other, and right now Lovino wasn't really doing a good job of protecting Feliciano.

He didn't even fucking know where he was in the first place.

Ivan opened his mouth to say something when suddenly the back wall opened up, revealing an elaborate stage. Red curtains slid down their poles and revealed a banner with the words "Welcome to the Academy!" written on it, slathered in golden glitter.

And Feliciano.

"L-Lovi!" his brother cried and slid down the stage, landing unsteadily on his feet. Lovino staggered towards Feliciano and grabbed his arms, eyes wide.

"Where were you?" he asked, angry. "I was worried!"

"I-I –" Feliciano opened his mouth to speak but was pulled back by Ludwig, the German. He felt hands on his shoulder dragging him backwards to and he was about to retort loudly when he looked back up at the stage.

A small, smiling cat plush was placed in the middle of the stage. It all looked so out of place, against the grey walls and floors.

"Was that there before, aru?" Yao, the Chinese, asked.

"No, it just appeared out of –" Alfred started loudly, cut off by another voice.

"Welcome to World Academy W, a school of murder!"

Lovino gripped Feliciano's hand tightly and he felt Feliciano squeeze back. A feeling of absolute terror washed over the room.

"Did the cat just…talk?"

"More importantly, did it just say murder?!"

Suddenly, Lovino didn't think he was at the real World Academy W.

* * *

**note:** super dangan ronpa is based around a school called hope's peak. the students are all the best in their respective fields – for example, one of the characters and one of my personal favourites is asahina aoi, the super-high school level swimmer. baited into the school, the group of students soon find out the true purpose of them going. kill, or be killed – literally.

the story/game focuses on the murders and murderers of the class, and the few survivors that come out of it. there are absolute shocking plot twists throughout the game, and sometimes the game will trick you into thinking the murderer is one person, when it's the other, or vice-versa.

my goal is to make an au based off of dangan ronpa while still branching off of it and making it my own. the premise is the same: a group of students are locked into a school with the instructions that they either kill each other or stay there forever. but if you've read dangan ronpa or know anything about it, there will be some very noticeable differences.

if you want to read the translated version of dangan ronpa, just google it! it's very good and i highly recommend it.

if you have any requests for minor pairings, i'll try to accommodate!

well, that's all for this chapter. the chapters will get progressively longer as time goes by. please review if you do so wish! thank you!


	2. Part 2: Distrust I

**note: **if you can, you should listen to "monokuma-sensei's lesson" while reading this. it's one of the dangan ronpa ost songs and it's pretty much perfect for this chapter. anyways, please enjoy!

* * *

"W-W-What's going on here?" Elizabeta yelled. She gazed around at the other students, hoisting her hands in front of her and pointing at the cat. "What the hell is that?"

Lovino tugged on Feliciano's hand, bringing his brother closer. Their shoulders just barely touched. He narrowed his eyes. "Who's controlling it?" he asked.

The stuffed cat's plush tongue touched its paw. "I can control myself," it replied cheerily. "I'm Yata! I'm your principal!" The animal didn't move its mouth, but the words were loud enough to be heard clearly from everywhere in the room.

"A cat can't be our principal, aru," Yao protested. He crossed his arms.

Kiku stood up straight and took a step towards the cat. "This is very high level technology," he observed. "If we took it apart, would we find mechanics?"

Alfred laughed, but his voice was strained when he spoke. "Oooh! Can I help?"

Yata jumped backwards to the back of the stage. "Don't take me apart! I'm the person who's going to be taking care of you guys!"

"From what I can tell," Roderich closed his eyes and took a deep breath, clearly stressed. "The animal has pre-recorded voices to answer most of our questions. The coding in it must be very advanced."

"I'm not pre-recorded," Yata protested. "But, we're getting off topic! As I said, welcome to World Academy W, the greatest school in the universe, and your new residence!"

"…I chose not to board." Ludwig's voice commanded attention. It was the first time he had spoken so far.

"It's not a problem. We have a room set up for all of you, whether you chose on the paperwork to board or not. Of course, if you want, you can always sleep in the hallway if you're really that passionate about not getting a free room." Lovino saw Ludwig's fists tighten together. He was mad, and frankly, Lovino didn't want to see the extent of his anger. His first priority right now wasn't exactly gauging up his classmates.

"Just tell us already, da? Why you have trapped us here." Ivan gestured towards the other students. "I am guessing this is not normal school procedures."

"You would guess correctly! It's a new policy the school has created! A school of murdering!"

Feliciano made a strangled noise from beside him and Lovino grabbed his arm, moving him closer. It wasn't normal for them to show lots of physical affection but he knew Feliciano wasn't really paying attention. Rather, he guessed his younger brother was simply picking and choosing things to listen to – things that were dangerous. That would frighten him. It was something that Feliciano tended to do regularly. Filter out the neutral and only listen to the extremes. There was nothing positive to balance this situation. He knew his brother was on the verge of a panic attack, if anything.

"Murdering?" Arthur was seething. "You bloody tell us what's going on here, enough with beating around the bush! What's this all about new policies and killing?"

"It's exactly what I've been saying. Instead of the boring idea of overachieving pessimists coming together and creating bills that never get past the first stage of being accepted, I thought of a much more exciting idea for you guys! A killing game! You kill people, you win, you survive! You snooze, you lose! Except this time, you don't just lose the game. You lose your life!"

"T-This is madness!" Elizabeta shrieked. "Give us back our memories! Bring us to the real academy!"

"Silly girl." Yata sounded amused. "This is the real academy!"

"It doesn't answer how all of us lost our memories at the same time." Antonio frowned and put his hands on his hips. His and Lovino's elbows brushed as Antonio took a step forward.

A quiet, trembling voice piped up. The room was dead silent save for the students breathing but Lovino still had to strain to hear it. "Could you elaborate on this… killing game…?" He thought the kid's name was Matthew, but he wasn't sure if he had heard it right before.

"Of course! At least someone appreciates the time I've spent planning this out for you guys. The game is simply. You kill someone and get away with it and you win. You kill someone and don't get away with it and you lose. If everything goes as planned, everyone will die except one person! If you win, you will be allowed to leave the academy and go back to your boring, mundane life. And everyone else will die! If you lose, you will be killed, and everyone else will live."

Gilbert turned around from his place in front of the stage and crossed his arms. "This is nonsense. What's a talking stuffed cat going to do to us? Let's just beat it up and find a way out of here!"

"That's not a good idea," Yuta tsked. "I'm afraid if you try and harm me I will have no choice but to harm you right back."

The white-haired male rolled up his sleeve and spun around to ready his fist and climb onto the stage. "A little toy like you can't hurt someone as awesome as me!"

Roderich scowled. "Don't be an idiot, Gilbert. We do not know the extent of to which we are trapped here and how much damage it could do to us."

"He's right," Ludwig agreed. "There could be hidden weapons in the wall, or alarms set off to alert others in the building when the animal is destroyed."

Gilbert relaxed his shoulders and Antonio clapped him on the back. "Well then, we can't just listen to this guy! Killing? I'm not doing any of that!"

"Maybe we don't have to kill each other," Kiku reasoned. "Yuta-san, how long will be staying here for?"

"Why, I thought it was obvious! You will be living here forever until the game is over!"

The room stilled but the tension was high.

Yuta broke the silence again. "Food and activities will be provided for you. The whole first floor of the school is available for your pleasure. There's a fully-stocked kitchen and new food will be brought every week. If the whole class decides not to participate in the game, I will happily allow you guys to live here forever, but –"

"We would be leaving our real lives behind." Roderich looked smug but his brow was furrowed. "You're getting awfully predictable."

"I assume that, if you all are so smart, you can figure the rest out yourself! In the bin on the table facing the right wall you will find your electronic cards which will grant you access to various areas of the academy. I will talk to you guys later!"

Yuta strode towards the edge of the stage and the curtains closed swiftly, leaving no time for anyone to follow. The edges of the wall peaked out from the upper side of the stage and covered it.

It was if it was 5 minutes ago. When they had just woken up.

Except it was so, so different.

"Feliciano," Lovino said, finally focusing his attention his brother. Feliciano was shaking and he reached out to grasp Lovino's shirt. He looked around the room as Feliciano rested his head on Lovino's shoulder, sobbing loudly. Most of his classmates looked, as expected, scared. Roderich, Kiku and Ludwig simply looked passive. Gilbert was talking animatedly to Francis and Antonio, gesturing wildly and making motions that suggested doing rather dangerous and unpredictable things to Yuta. The others were floating around, chatting with each other or keeping to themselves, like Ivan.

Feliciano's sobs died down and his voice made Lovino look back down at him. "I don't want to die." He sounded pathetic. His brother was pathetic, especially when it came to situations like this. But Lovino was sure one of the others would find it charming, and Lovino would do everything to protect him.

"Where were you earlier?" Lovino asked.

"I'll tell you later." Feliciano sniffed and lifted his head, wiping his eyes. He looked tired and defeated. Lovino felt warmth bubbling in his chest, a need to protect the naïve boy. They were born only minutes apart yet Lovino felt years older. Feliciano was just a child in his mind. Lovino didn't have time to worry himself when he had to worry for Feliciano.

"You better," Lovino grumbled and then spoke louder, to the others. "How do we get the fuck out of here?"

"T-There's a door over here." Matthew clutched his toy polar bear to his chest and blushed furiously as everyone turned to him. "It's actually a button, but I think it's the way out… Do I p-press it?"

"Don't press it! It's probably a trap!" Alfred hollered. Arthur elbowed him in the gut with a grimace.

"Whoever is doing all of this, they wouldn't let us kill ourselves with a damn button."

Matthew gulped and nodded. He closed his eyes and then gently pressed his finger down against the button. The walls opened up, revealing a doorway, just wide enough for one person.

Gilbert made an oddly happy noise and barreled towards the door, pushing past Matthew. "I'm free!"

Matthew poked his head outside the door. "It's…it's pretty nice out here," he said and walked through the door, shaking like a leaf, as if it would electrocute him. It didn't.

Soon everyone was making their way through the tiny door, the taller students having to duck their heads to get through it. Feliciano tugged on Lovino's sleeve. "I don't want to be the last one here."

Lovino let Feliciano guide him out the door, picking up their cards on the way out. He didn't know what he was expecting, but as Matthew had said, it was quite nice. Gilbert and Alfred were making a show of pointing out various designs on the wall. An intricate pattern of what seemed to be hand-painted replicas of famous pieces of art were displayed on the wall, so many that Lovino couldn't even tell what the original colour of the wall was. Feliciano would know better than him about this stuff.

"Ve, Lovi, it's nice here." Feliciano sounded worn out and tired, yet his voice was also cheery. A prickle of annoyance struck Lovino and he sighed. It wasn't as if he didn't want Feliciano to be happy but he knew the other's coping mechanism for tough situations – ignore it and pretend it didn't exist. And frankly, although he didn't want to actively make himself a target, he wasn't about to blatantly ignore the odd situation they were in.

He twined his fingers together with Feliciano's. "Let's go." They continued down the hallway, observing the various rooms. Feliciano tried to open some of them but it seemed they were all locked. Odd, considering what Yuta had said earlier, but he made the logical assumption that it was because it was their first day. The large door must be to the cafeteria or the place to eat, or some sort of gym. Another door had the label "chemistry lab" on it. Another, which Feliciano fawned loudly over and he silently wept about, was the apparent indoor garden.

Another thing Lovino had quickly caught onto was that there were no windows. The walls were either covered completely in paintings or, admittedly beautiful, deep rich red wallpaper. They could be underground for all Lovino knew. There was no way to tell.

Cameras were everywhere. At every corner there was one placed. They weren't even hidden, either. He knew it was strategy. The point was that they knew they were being watched. By who, he didn't know.

"Feliciano," Lovino called. Feliciano gazed back at him with a dopey smile on his face. "I need you to tell me what happened earlier," he said firmly.

Feliciano's smile dropped a bit. "I was -"

"Lovino! Feliciano!" an annoyingly happy voice that reminded him of Feliciano's, but deeper and more mature, called out. And unfortunately, he recognized it even just from the few times he had heard it.

Antonio stopped beside him, panting, pressing his hands against his knees as he struggled to catch his breath. Obviously he had ran around to find them. "You guys were going fast, molto veloce! Mio dio, it's great to see you guys again, but maybe not in this situation!" He laughed.

"Again? What… what the fuck are you saying!"

"You don't remember?" Antonio frowned. "We all went to school together."

"We... we... what?!"

* * *

**note:** _the gargoyle alchemist_ – yes, sadly, characters will die. and you will see what happens! from what it sounds like you're expecting… well, for you, i think it'll be unexpected. and i updated soon, so i wouldn't have to become one with russia! (also, thanks for the compliments! hehe)

_thedeadone28_ - mafia!romano is one of my favourite portrayals of romano, coincidentally..!

thanks for reading!


	3. Part 3: Distrust II

**note:** i love hearing your guys' theories and such, it's very interesting for me as the author! anyways, enjoy!

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"Ve, I don't remember you," Feliciano spoke up. He pouted. "It's nice to meet you again! I'm Feliciano! But you must already know that, if you say you know us." He twirled a stray curl of hair around his finger and grinned brightly, eyes forming little moons.

"Of course I know!" Antonio's cheery laugh was loud and obnoxious and downright annoying. Lovino curled his hand into a fist.

"How," Lovino breathed out the word angrily. "How do you think we know each other? Because I certainly don't fucking remember you, and Feliciano doesn't either!"

This is exactly what Lovino knew what his job was when it came to Feliciano. In a normal environment it would have been to keep people who could have easily harassed Feliciano away from him. But he didn't want to chance the idea that some idiot would take the idea of the killing game seriously. Lovino didn't exactly have high expectations concerning Antonio's intelligence.

"I don't know," Antonio shrugged. "I remember, though. We went to middle school together! I can't believe you don't remember." He frowned. "We all did… you guys and me, and the others, but you and me, we were really close!"

Okay. It was pretty clear that this guy was delusional. Lovino could rationalize being knocked out for a short period of time – the person behind all this had probably shot sleeping gas at him when he walked into the academy. But Lovino sure as hell didn't think he would forget going to middle school with this guy. He remembered middle school and middle school didn't include _any_ of his new acquaintances. Hell, middle school didn't even include Feliciano.

"I think you have the wrong damn people." Lovino pushed Antonio away, sending him staggering against the wall. The other guy looked shocked, and a bit upset. Honestly speaking, Lovino didn't give a fuck what Antonio thought. He didn't consider this a life or death situation, exactly, but he wasn't naïve enough to trust him.

"Ve, Lovi, don't be mean!" Feliciano frowned. "Antonio won't hurt us!"

"Why would I hurt you?" Antonio blinked owlishly and a few seconds passed before a light of recognition lit his eyes. "Oh! You guys had run off so I guess you didn't hear. We all decided pretty easily that nobody was going to die. Even the big Russian guy agreed! We're going to plan meetings and stuff to try and get out of here. Good plan, right?" He smiled like it was _actually_ a good plan.

"No, it isn't," Lovino answered shortly. "I don't think everyone here is dumb enough to blindly agree to that without having second thoughts. And won't the cat see us trying to escape?" He didn't like Antonio explaining things to him. He didn't need Antonio to explain anything to him in the first place! He didn't even want Antonio near him.

"Ve, Lovi! You didn't read the rules on the card!" Feliciano dug his hand deep into his pocket and pulled out his own card. "Look, look, see?"

Romano took the card that Feliciano was practically throwing at him. The cards looked like they had been made by a 5 year old. The cards were bright orange with little drawing of cats used as border. There was glitter sprinkled on it and messy glue plastered over the glitter to keep it from falling off.

"Flip it over," Antonio suggested.

"I know that," Lovino replied angrily. He turned the card over and saw that the rules were written in cute, pixelated text.

Rule #1: Locked doors are not allowed to be broken down.  
Rule #2: If the culprit is guessed correctly with sufficient evidence, the culprit will be executed and all the remaining students may live. If no culprit is guessed with sufficient evidence, the culprit will graduate from the academy and all the remaining students will be executed.  
Rule #2: Only culprits may graduate. Accomplices are not included.  
Rule #4: You are not allowed to be in the kitchen, gym, or cafeteria after ten o'clock at night.  
Rule #5: No items are off-limits to possess, but there is no service for cellular devices or computers in the school.  
Rule #6: Any rule-breakers will be executed.  
Rule #7: New rules may be added any time by the principal.

"See? It doesn't say anything about limiting our escape!" Antonio snatched the card out of his hands and gave it back to Feliciano, who simply smiled brightly at him.

"It says that locked doors can't be broken down. Plus, the cat can just add more rules."

Antonio gave him a look that clearly meant he was judging Lovino. Good. Lovino was judging him right back. "We can find away. All of us are working together. As I said, even Ivan! Kiku and Alfred are good at these things."

For some reason Lovino couldn't exactly imagine Alfred being an escape expert.

"Well, I'm not taking part in it." Lovino lifted his chin and narrowed his eyes. "And neither will Feli!"

"Ve, Lovi! I can make my own choices. I think it sounds like a good idea!" Antonio beamed at that and they were practically looking at each other with loving eyes. Lovino felt sick.

"No, you fucking won't. You know what, let's just go back to our fucking rooms, it's probably late anyways." Lovino turned around and started to make his way down the hall when he realized he didn't hear footsteps following him.

Turning around, he saw Feliciano with his arms crossed and Antonio looking both heartbroken and excited at the same time. "Lovi, I don't want to go to the rooms. It's safer to stay in big groups, right? In case someone decides to do something dangerous."

Lovino stomped his foot. "No! It's not!" When he started walking again and Feliciano didn't follow him he spun around and angrily yelled, "You know what? Fine! Stay here with the creepy fucking Spanish weirdo! Get yourself killed! I don't fucking care!"

He stormed down the hallway, not sure where he was going. The more he walked the angrier he got. The walls started to change from being covered in beautiful wallpaper to sleek metal. He couldn't hear the others, anymore. No footsteps. No creaking. He slowed down and panted, suddenly feeling tired. He was completely alone.

He leaned back against the wall, burying his head in his hands. He didn't understand what was going on. He didn't understand how the others were being so casual about this. He knew he wasn't paranoid. Whatever Yuta was, or whoever, it had the ability to knock them all out and trap them in this school without being noticed. He was positive that if they were classified as missing than the police would be there. It had to have been at least a few hours since they woke up.

He also didn't trust his peers, particularly Ivan, but even then, all of them. He didn't think they were all that smart, which was exactly his reason for believing that he was playing with fire. Really, no smart person would participate in a killing game. They would carefully plan out how to survive. A dumb person would act like a smart person but, in the end, turn back on their word.

How could they just be trapped here? Where were they? The letters that him and Feliciano had received about their admission had seemed authentic enough. Lovino had scanned it meticulously in case it was a fraud and had even looked up information on the academy to make sure he was going to the right place. It was hard to mistake the academy as well. The buildings in this area weren't exactly the nicest, while the academy was surrounded by lush green and gorgeous fountains.

He had so many questions. But he wouldn't sit here and feel useless when he felt like he could do something. He wasn't as brave or strong as the others but he knew he was smart. He wouldn't fall for whatever twisted game the person who had trapped them there was trying to play with them, and he sure as hell wasn't going to fall for an unrealistic "let's work together" ploy.

A soft voice broke him out of his thoughts. "U-Uhm, you know the rooms are just around the corner, right?"

Lovino looked up warily and saw Matthew looking at him. "Where are the others?"

"We decided that… it would be best if we had a rule where we all went to bed at ten o'clock… a-and it's almost ten o'clock, but I came here earlier because I was bored," Matthew explained. "Where's your brother?"

Lovino sneered. "With the Spanish guy."

Matthew looked calm despite the tremble in his voice. It was probably a speech habit more than it was something related to anxiety but Lovino wasn't sure. The boy was so quiet. "Oh… A-Antonio says that we used to be classmates, but I don't remember."

He groaned. He would make sure tomorrow to keep Feliciano away from Antonio. Feliciano was going to get himself hurt, or if Lovino's suspicions were true…killed. And Lovino would be damned if he let that happen. Even if Feliciano didn't like it, it was his job as a big brother.

And he needed to ask Feliciano what he had been doing behind the stage.

He needed to do one million things, yet it was only in his power to do a handful of them.

"I'm coming," he said. Matthew nodded and turned the corner where Lovino assumed the rooms were. He was dead tired and would appreciate the sleep. He got up and made his way around the corner and saw a long row of doors. There were no numbers but small name plates and pictures were beside every door. The first one was X-ed out and the picture was covered in red paint, obscuring the ability to see whose room it was. An extra room?

He grabbed the handle and tried to open the door. As he expected, it didn't work, as all the other doors he had come across so far. He would try again tomorrow.

Lovino's room was fourth to last, sandwiched in between Feliciano's and Roderich's. He knocked on Feliciano's door. There was no answer. He went back and used his key to open his door, shutting it gently behind him. There was a little tick and he flipped it, locking the door. Good. He didn't want to get murdered in his sleep.

The room was clean and reminded Lovino of a hotel room. The bed was plain, with creamy sheets. It was comfortably big and he felt the sheets between his fingers. They were soft, high quality, and probably expensive. There was a table to the left side of the room but nothing on it.

The bathroom itself was just as plain. A sink, a toilet, and a shower. The door didn't lock. He inspected the sink and shower, checking the water. A towel was draped over the shower rod. It all looked normal.

There were cameras in both rooms. He thought maybe he could somehow block the camera by using a cloth of some sorts, but he wouldn't risk that, not now. He didn't know enough about the person behind all this.

He took off his pants and slipped off his shirt, folding them neatly onto the table. He hoped there was some sort of laundry area. If not, he'd make Feliciano wash his clothes for him or something. Feliciano was better at that kind of stuff. Frankly, Feliciano was better at most things, but at least Lovino would always be smarter. Maybe that would actually count for something for once.

He climbed into bed and stared at the ceiling. He was tired but he didn't want to sleep. After a few moments, the lights flickered off. He hoped there was some sort of control-all light switch and that it wasn't Yuta who had turned them off. That would have brought the creepiness to an all-new level.

He clutched the sheet in his fingers and sighed. He was sure that more would come to light within the next few days. It didn't comfort him but it was nice to think that. He and Feliciano could stay away from the others while Lovino investigated the building and the others' actions without getting too close like Feliciano would.

The real question was – did he even have a few days?

Another question he didn't know the answer to.

He seemed to have a lot of those lately.

**END OF DAY 1**  
**ALIVE: 14 STUDENTS**

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**note: **_thedeadone28 _– you'll see! i love fierce romano… he's such a cute baby but i always get really excited when he gets fierce and protective haha ;;

_animefreakofcourse_ – sadly, i can't promise that all of those characters will stay alive, lol! luckily for you, i do have quite a bit of stuff planned for those specific pairings, but i can't tell you what exactly how, or whether it's good or bad, mm… thank you! (i feel very evil right now LOL)

_berlinbelschmid_ – omg i'm not sure about that, but thank you! although it's from romano's point of view, a lot of the story is dialogue-based, so i'm glad you liked it!

_lilly927_ – all will be explained…eventually! but that particular plot point won't be revealed for a while, i must admit. and yes, there will be much grief and tears when people die…

_magicalunatica_ – ahh, thank you!

you guys are lucky, a double update! sort of. considering i updated at 3am before i went to bed, i… guess it's a double update?

also, i'll probably be drawing how the characters look in this story, as their outfits (which will never change) are different from canon. i'll post the links on my profile and announce it here whenever i draw one!

thanks a lot for reading and stay tuned for more!


	4. Part 4: Distrust III

**note:** woah! i got a lot of reviews this time around (5) so even though i'm a bit sleepy, i wanted to roll out another chapter before i went to bed. thanks a ton and enjoy!

* * *

When Lovino woke up the lights were already on. Someone was knocking furiously at his door, probably banging it as hard as they could, considering how loud it was. He blinked a few times and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, sitting up. The sheets draped over his lap and he reached for his pants and shirt, slipping them on. "I'm coming, calm down." The knocking abruptly stopped and he trudged over to the door, unlocking it and pulling it open.

Matthew was holding his polar bear to his chest, pressing the top of its head to his chin. "There was a meeting called and… you hadn't come yet… s-so they made me come and see if you were awake," the taller boy explained hastily.

Lovino ran a hand through his hair. A meeting? He had already said he didn't want to attend those dumb escape planning meetings. "I don't want to go," he retorted and then moved his hand to close the door again.

Matthew grabbed the edge of the door with his foot and made a meekly angry face. "It's not a student meeting, i-it was called by Yuta! You have to come!"

A chill ran up Lovino's spine. "Is Feliciano there?"

The blonde boy nodded hastily and Lovino groaned loudly. His younger brother must have been rubbing off on him. He was simply naïve to think that he would have a few days to sort out his thoughts. The principal clearly wanted this game to happen. Matthew just nodded at him and started to walk down the hallway. Lovino followed suit, quiet.

"You know… Alfred is my brother," Matthew said suddenly.

Lovino raised an eyebrow, an instinct rather than something for show. He would have never guessed that. "Is that so?"

"Growing up, Alfred was always more popular than me and was always better at things than me. I…I'm smarter but Alfred is better at applying things. He's stronger than me. So… he always overshadowed m-me… It's sort of like you and your brother, isn't it?"

Matthew stopped and turned around, holding his plush in one hand. His other hand was wrapped around his chest. He simply looked passive and thoughtful, not sad, nor happy.

Lovino felt a spark of annoyance rise in his chest but he knew Matthew was right. He struggled with the urge to snap at Matthew. The boy, although larger than him, had such a small presence. "I…I guess," he replied reluctantly.

Matthew smiled at him and continued walking. "I was always ignored growing up. Alfred always got all the praise. But y…you know, I don't really mind it. Because of me, Alfred can get stronger. It makes me happy to be able to support him."

Lovino let Matthew talk. He didn't know where the other boy was going with this or what his intent was. Maybe he was just ranting. Matthew didn't sound bitter, though. He had only known Matthew for two days but not once had he seen him get legitimately angry at something. He was always calm and always patient. Maybe that was the difference between them – the reason why Lovino secretly harboured a deep jealousy for Lovino. Lovino wasn't calm. He hated the fact that he craved attention and couldn't control his emotions. He hated –

"We're here," Matthew said.

Lovino looked up at the room they were in. He hadn't even realized they had walked so far. The room looked like banquet hall without the tables. The carpet and walls were a deep red, elegant and regal. It looked almost like something Feliciano would have designed.

"Ve, Lovi!" Feliciano hugged him from behind and nuzzled his head onto Lovino's shoulder. "Fratello… I'm sorry I got mad at you yesterday. Antonio said you were just stressed and weren't thinking straight."

"I was very well thinking fucking straight. Don't listen to Antonio," Lovino grumbled. He didn't want anyone to die, but if this killing thing was going to happen, he hoped Antonio would at least get a good knock on the head. Or maybe not. He didn't want to jinx it.

He pulled Feliciano off of him. "Ve, Lovi, do you know why we're here?"

"No," Lovino answered shortly. "I just woke up."

Feliciano's eyes widened. "I didn't see you at breakfast. Ve, I thought you were just keeping to yourself! Lovi, it's almost noon!"

...Well. That wasn't a sleeping schedule he wanted to become regular. "Whatever."

"Everyone's here, da?" Ivan's voice wasn't very loud but everyone had heard it. Lovino looked at him and flinched when he saw what Ivan was holding.

"What the fuck is that?" Lovino growled.

Ivan held up the metal pipe, smiling innocently. "The animal said we could carry anything we wanted, da? It is always good to have something for self-defence."

"We already tried to get the commie bastard to give it up but he wouldn't budge! Maybe we should lock him in a cellar?" Alfred's voice, on the other hand, was very, very loud.

"And you! Shut the fuck up!" Lovino yelled, spinning and pointing a finger at Alfred.

"Lovi!" whined the most annoying voice he had ever heard, even more annoying than Alfred or Ivan. God, this man was really testing his non-existent resolve. "Don't be mean, Alfred is just scared for us!"

"You know what, I just –" Feliciano put a hand over his mouth and grinned.

"Ve, Antonio is so smart!"

'Or maybe you're both just idiots,' Lovino thought. "Let's just get this the fuck over with," Lovino said.

"We can't," Roderich said. He was wiping off his glasses. Placing them back on his nose, Lovino had to admit, he was quite intimidating. "The doors to the gym are locked. We were told over the speaker system to meet here, however. I am sure the principal will be here soon."

"I am here!"

Feliciano immediately reached for Lovino's hand. He let Feliciano touch him. He'd rather have Feliciano semi-calm and reassured than flat out terrified and sobbing like yesterday.

"Where did it come from?!" Arthur yelled, raising a hand in front of his face as to protect himself.

"I've been here the whole time," Yuta said, sounding disappointed. "I was just… hiding. Anyways, the doors are open now! Go in, go in! It's time for our weekly assembly!"

Weekly… assembly?

None of the students moved and neither did Yuta. Feliciano was quivering beside him, holding onto Lovino's hand like a lifeline. It really was amazing how fast Feliciano could change moods.

"Well, go in!"

Kiku walked in first, taking a place at the front. It seemed to be the same layout as the room they had woken up in, expect the floors were hardwood. Really, it looked like the gym of his middle school.

"Hey, I've seen this place before! …I think." Gilbert tapped his chin and made an exaggerated "hmm" noise.

"This is where we used to have gym! I can't believe you guys don't remember," Antonio said. Francis let out a laugh that clearly meant he thought Antonio was _hilarious _and not absolutely fucking insane like he probably actually was.

Lovino and Feliciano stood at the back. Roderich stood a bit away from him with Elizabeta. Yao and Kiku stood at the front, Ivan looming over them. Everyone else was squished in the middle. It had suddenly got very quiet as Yuta hopped up onto the stage.

A microphone stand was placed on the stage. It was small but still a little taller than Yuta. Funny, how an animal the size of Lovino's feet could threaten all of their lives with just a few words.

"I overheard your discussion," Yuta said. "And not participating in the game is simply unacceptable! So, I decided to come up with a motive for you guys!"

"A… motive?" Matthew whispered as if he didn't know the word. But they all knew it, even if only a few of them spoke English as a first language.

It was there and then that Lovino knew that there was no way they were coming out of this with everyone alive.

"Yes! Exactly, Max!" Matthew made a strangled noise, his face going beat-red. "Or whatever your name is." Yuta laughed, obviously not caring about whatever Matthew thought. "Here, come up one at a time and get your slip of paper. Do whatever you want with it, I don't care! Come up! Don't read them until I say you can! If you don't obey… well… you should know the rules!"

They each went up one by one. Lovino wasn't second last. "Feliciano, let go, I have to go up," he whispered. Feliciano just pulled his arm harder, refusing to let go. He struggled to leave Feliciano's grasp as Yuta urged him to come up to the stage. The pressure was relieved and he saw Antonio holding Feliciano in his arms.

He was going to end up murdering Antonio at this rate, killing game or not.

"Let go of my brother," Lovino said, voice quiet so only Antonio and Feliciano would hear. Antonio immediately let go, looking wounded. Lovino went up to the stage, reaching down and grabbing the slip of paper from Yuta's mouth.

He walked back down and Yuta called Feliciano up. His brother stumbled across the room, barely making it up the stage without tripping. He grabbed the slip of paper with shaky hands and walked back down, taking his place beside Lovino. He put a hand on Feliciano's shoulder, but even he felt a sick feeling pool at the bottom of his stomach.

"You may read them!"

The sound of paper crinkling was the only thing heard in the room. Lovino wasn't even sure if he breathed in that moment. He sure as hell didn't breathe after.

_You're terrible and worthless. You'll never live up to be like your brother. The only thing you'll ever be good for is making people die… which is exactly what will happen to your family if you don't end up graduating._

Lovino's breath hitched. His head hurt. "W-What the hell is this?" he screeched. He ripped the paper up, his whole body shaking. The small pieces fell through his fingers. "What the fuck?"

"Y-You're lying, aru!" Yao said. "This can't be true!"

"Nobody has… the sort of power to do such a thing," Roderich murmured. "It must be a bluff."

Lovino looked around the room. Everyone was looking as horrified or terrified as he felt. Lord, no. He was a practicing Catholic all his life – he wanted confirmation that the Lord existed, and now would have been a great time to show it.

Of course, with his luck, the only thing he got was Feliciano falling to the ground beside him and screaming.

"F-Feli," he said, moving to his knees. "Feli, calm d -"

"It's not true, it's not true, Lovi, fratello, i-it's not true, right?" Feliciano whispered. He repeated the same phrase over and over again and Lovino – fuck, he couldn't do this. Feliciano looked up at him, bangs falling over his eyes and his face dark, but Lovino saw the tears. Heck, he could hear the tears. Lovino's throat closed up and he awkwardly flailed his arms, settling on simply hugging Feliciano.

"It's not true," Lovino assured him.

Feliciano cried on his shoulder and Lovino could sense everyone looking at them. He tried so hard to keep his own tears back but thinking of his grandfather and his brother dying, because of him…

"I don't lie," Yuta said.

For once, Lovino thought he was clinging to Feliciano, not the other way around. Or maybe it was both. He buried his head onto the crook of Feliciano's neck.

"I'll p-protect you," Lovino hiccupped. His lips brushed against Feliciano's ear and Feliciano nodded just a bit. "It'll be okay," he promised.

"Do you swear?" Feliciano mumbled.

"I-I –" He heard Ludwig's booming voice in the background, commanding them all to be quiet. Moving back a bit, he looked at Feliciano's teary eyes and saw his own face in the reflection, devastated and helpless.

"I swear."

* * *

**note:** _leitora3_ – thank you! me too, i love survival/horror/mystery/suspense/etc… those kind of genres. my favourite story genre is angst and h/c though. (that may become more evident later on in the story… haha)

_thedeadone28_ – oooh, good guesses! i expect the first murder to take place the chapter after the next, so soon you'll be able to confirm if any of those are right!

_itanohira_ – aww, thanks! and yes, yuta isn't exactly a saint and he's not afraid to use his power… hopefully this chapter lived up to your expectations!

_happyneon_ – if you read dangan ronpa actually, sakura is WAY different than ivan. sakura is actually very gentle and kind despite her appearance and shes very protective and cares a lot about asahina… if anything, i think ivan is like togami. they're both cold and ruthless. though, the character i always connect from hetalia to dangan ronpa is roderich and togami, just because of the way they speak… woah, i rambled for a bit there lol

i also wanted to know if anybody would be interested in little side-stories concerning the other characters. it does seem like a lot of the characters are just noiseless background characters (such as elizabeta, gilbert, kiku, etc) but it's more that lovino has no reason to talk to them, and as the story is from lovino's point of view, we don't see or hear much of them. so if anyone is interested in stories written from other characters point of view i'd be happy to give you insight!

thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed!


	5. Part 5: Beautiful Dead I

**note:** i'm sorry i didn't update for two whole days! i have the flu, sadly, but this chapter is more action-packed than i had planned for it to be, so hopefully that makes up for it! enjoy!

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Lovino shut the door to Feliciano's room softly, careful not to alert anyone that he was still awake. Feliciano had been hysterical all afternoon, screaming and crying non-stop for the first few hours. He had then settled down in Lovino's arms, eventually falling asleep. Lovino wouldn't dare chance the idea of staying in Feliciano's room and left.

He was a bit on the wary side now, debating his and other peoples' choices carefully. Obviously, Lovino killing someone wasn't an option. Rebelling alone was an option, albeit a far fetched one that would take days to plan, and he didn't have days. Reblling with others was a much more comforting idea, but not something that demanded immediate attention. More importantly, one of the others was going to act, tonight or tomorrow or the day after, but soon. Someone was going to die, and it sure as hell wasn't going to be him.

Or his brother, for that matter.

"Lovi."

He crossed his arms over his chest and scowled, head down and eyes cast onto the floor. "What do you want?" he asked.

"I need to know what was written on your paper," Antonio said. His hand reached out for Lovino's shoulder and Lovino smacked it away, growling. "Lovi! Please! I know you don't believe me, but we did know each other, before this! We didn't always get along but… we were friends, best friends! I just want to help you!"

"Do you fucking realize how insane you sound right now?" Lovino tried to keep his voice low, knowing that it could alert one of their peers that they were awake. It was a mutual agreement that they would all go to bed at the same time. "Just get away from me! I'm going to my room, good night Antonio. I hope you trip and smash your face into the wall."

Lovino took a step towards his door and swiped the key. The door unlocked and he pulled it open harshly, shutting it quietly but fiercely enough that he hoped Antonio got the message.

"I care about you, Lovi," Antonio's voice could barely be heard through the cool metal of the door. "Even if you don't do the same for me. Tomorrow… someone is going to die, and I'll do my best to stop it from happening. But if you somehow trust me, please come find me tomorrow. I can't say what I need to say here. It's too dangerous. I just want to protect you."

"Go back to your fucking room," Lovino whispered into the crack of the door. He heard Antonio mumble to himself and then the shuffling of shoes, moving away from Lovino's room.

Running a hand through his hair, he slid down the wall, knees pressed against his cheek. Grabbing fistfuls of his hair, he let out choked sob. No tears slid down his cheeks nor pricked his eyes but the anger and grief he felt was immense. He had to find a way to protect himself, his brother, his family. But he didn't know how. He didn't even know where to start. For all of his theoretical mafia training and intelligence, it sure didn't seem to be helping him much now.

He crawled over to his bed, too tired to shower or even take off his clothes. He rested his head against the plush pillow, revelling in the warmth and comfort of his bed, but he missed the feeling of safety. The school was not dangerous on its own, and if Lovino had to guess, it probably had been used as a normal school before all of this. But the idea that Yuta, or whatever, or whoever was watching him right now…

Was going to watch as they all died…

The person who was planning to watch a group of teenagers kill each other for things that may or may not be true, to risk each other and their lives for just a small chance at surviving in the long run…

That person was sick.

People like that didn't deserve to live.

He brought the sheet up to his nose and buried his face into the pillow, sleeping without dreams that night.

**END OF DAY 2  
ALIVE: 14 STUDENTS**

"Rise and shine! Time to get out of bed everyone! The kitchens are open!"

Lovino groaned and pulled the pillow over his face, squeezing his eyes shut as the lights turned on. He wasn't ready to face today, but every second that passed was another second Feliciano could be associating with a future murderer. Throwing the pillow at the wall, he scrambled to kick the sheets off of him and then got out of bed. What time was it?

He sniffed his clothes, crinkling his nose. Yikes. Trudging to his bathroom, he slipped his clothes off and turned on the sink, soaking them. He had no idea if there was a place to do laundry, but once he left his room, he had no time to focus on things like that.

Turning on the shower, he tested the water with his hand. It was warm, unlike the other night when he had checked it. Perhaps the water was only warm certain times of the day – interesting, but not relevant.

He showered hurriedly, wrapping a towel around his chest as he checked on his clothes. Wet still, but he didn't really have a choice. Walking around in the open might dry it enough.

Drying his hair the best he could with his one towel, he looked at himself in the mirror, frowning. "Time to go," he muttered to himself.

He double-checked that his room door was shut and made his way to the cafeteria. Loud voices carried him the way there. At least he knew there would be others there. He hated to say it, but being in groups would benefit them certainly. It could potentially single out people planning to murder too. Something that could possibly save their lives in the near future.

"Lovino, my man!" Alfred grinned and walked over when Lovino entered the cafeteria. "This food is great, dude! Try some!"

Lovino took a step away from Alfred and scowled. "If you touch me like that one more time I'll kick you in the balls," he said. Alfred's eyes widened and he squeaked, running like a fucking coward to Matthew, who gave a shy smile and wave to Lovino before talking to his brother.

How could they be so carefree? Didn't they know someone was going to die today?

…Probably not, actually. It wasn't as if Antonio's word was guaranteed to be correct, even if it was a logical assumption. But the other student's, or at least the ones he could see now, worriless expressions made him think that they had no idea what they were really getting in to. It did make him feel a bit better, though, that strong men such as Alfred weren't eagerly planning to murder anyone.

He looked around the room, checking off in his mind who was there and who wasn't. Antonio wasn't, but he had predicted that when the other had commented on finding him the next day. Neither was Feliciano, but he was probably taking a leisurely, long shower, acting as if nothing was wrong. Yao, Roderich, and Elizabeta weren't there either. …Noted.

"Hi," a shy voice said, and Lovino's gaze perked up. Matthew's stuffed polar bear was absent.

"Where's the toy?" Lovino asked gruffly.

"I didn't want to get food on him." Matthew smiled at him. "You should eat. A-Alfred was right, the food is good, and… I think we're going to be doing some investigating today."

Ah. "Did Antonio tell you that?"

Matthew blinked, lower lip curling, a confused expression flickering on his face. "Antonio? I haven't seen him since yesterday. Did he tell you something?"

"Only that someone would die today." Lovino leaned against the wall, shoving his hands into his pockets. "But even if his prediction is just a guess, it's reasonable. I'm not going to ask what the bloody paper you got or whatever said on it, but mine was harsh. Yours was too, wasn't it?" Matthew nodded. "To… kill for."

Matthew pursued his lips. "Arthur and Francis and Alfred aren't really taking it that seriously. To be honest, I-I don't think Ivan is either, which is good. I mean… I don't know him, or anything, but he's acting the exact same as yesterday."

Lovino raised an eyebrow. "And you know Arthur and Francis?"

Matthew shrunk a bit under his gaze and nodded meekly before quickly speaking. "Did you get another change of clothes? Where? I couldn't find anything else, b-but I did find a place to wash your clothes…"

"What do you mean? These are the same clothes I've been wearing the entire time," Lovino frowned.

"E-Eh? Really? The colour is a lot different."

Lovino looked down at his clothes and curled his hand into a fist, slamming it against his thigh, to keep from yelling. God damit! He should have just fucking waited to wash his clothes properly. His shirt had been a beautiful orange before, but after drying, it seemed to have melted into a rather ugly-looking pale yellow.

"Fuck," he muttered. He zipped up his jacket, scowling. "Remind me not to be an idiot."

Matthew nodded rather seriously. "Don't be an idiot and come eat."

"Not what I fucking meant," Lovino said, but followed Matthew to one of the tables. There was a lot – way more than needed for 14 people. The entire cafeteria probably sat over 300 people. 300 people… supposedly, that was 300 students who used to go here. What happened to them? Where the fuck where they? Both the students… and his peers.

"Lovino! Sorry about earlier, I didn't know you had issues with touching, here, take some toast!" Alfred shoved a piece of buttered toast towards him and he took it begrudgingly, debating whether to throw it back or not. His stomach was starting to die at the prospect of food, especially food so close, and he opted simply for a snide comment.

"I don't have issues with touching. I have issues with morons such as yourself," he replied curtly. Arthur let out a loud laugh, sipping his tea. Matthew and Francis chatted in French. Across the room, Ivan sat alone, his pipe resting beside him. The others were scattered around, alone or in pairs, eating their food quietly. Or loudly, in Gilbert's case. The entire situation was off-putting in itself.

"The first thing we should do is check for hidden rooms and doors. Obviously, someone is gettin' in and out of here somehow to keep an eye on us, right? And the cameras must feed somewhere," Arthur said. He slammed his first onto the table. "And then we kill him and get out of here!"

Francis put his hand on top of Arthur's. "Mon amour, that may not be the best idea. This person can hear us, can they not?"

"Ah, but you're forgetting something – and get your damn hand off mine! – There's no rules limiting to where we can go."

Lovino was having some serious déjà vu with this conversation.

"I-It still says locked doors can't be opened," Matthew said. "But I think it's a good idea, still. Just not… too much. It'd be pretty lame if we died for snooping!"

Alfred slapped Matthew on the back, making the slighter boy choke on his food. "That's my little brother!"

"We could get the others to help, too. I mean, we were going to do it as a group, remember? But I think that ship sailed. Still, Lovino could get his brother and the Spanish guy to help out. All of us together, that's a good half of the people here looking for a way out."

"I'm not going five feet near Antonio," Lovino said, wiping his mouth with his napkin. "Feliciano would be shit at that stuff, anyways."

"Sometimes the creative can be the most helpful, non? They can see things that we can't," Francis said whistfully. "I think you just do not want your brother involved. Est-ce vrai?"

Lovino shoved his plate away from himself. "He'd hurt himself, somehow, fucking dumbass."

"Then it's settled! We look for a way out with Antonio and Feliciano's help, and become the heroes when we take down the evil cat!"

Suddenly, a sharp, ringing noise that sounded like a fire alarm went off. Lovino put his hands over his ears and yelled, "What the fuck is that?"

Matthew looked at him and shrugged gingerly, but his eyes were sharp and his expression told Lovino that he should probably be worried.

After around ten seconds the ringing stopped and Lovino lowered his hands quickly, ears perked up for anything else. Nobody spoke, not even Alfred or Gilbert, and the only movement was Ivan reaching for his pipe.

He heard footsteps, fast ones, and the door to the cafeteria flung open. Elizabeta panted, leaning against the wall for support as she opened her mouth. Her eyes were wide and on alert and her body was shaking as she spoke.

"Y-You guys need to come, q-quick, to the library, something happened, c-come, come!"

"I didn't think it would happen so soon," Matthew whispered dejectedly.

"What happened?" Gilbert asked, standing up. His chair toppled over, a sharp contrast to the relatively silent room.

"F...Feliciano… he's dead!"

* * *

**note:** _rosaangel naito_ – i can't say much about the calm and composed part… but i'm surprised you're the only person so far who has mentioned the difference in antonio's memories! it's a pretty damn big plot point/hole, lol, and thank you very much!

_animefreakofcouse_ – thank you! i will!

_nameless loner_ – youll see…for some, at least! thank you!

_mighty agamemnon_ – even anime!romano needs a good punch to the face sometimes, let alone fic!romano, haha. you'll see what happens!... thanks!

lots of little tidbits of information that will be useful for both next chapter and many more to come. hope you enjoyed, and as always, reviews are appreciated! thank you!


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